Hip-Hop’s Longest-Running Feuds

What's beef?

It's somewhat of a cliché to say that the truest essence of hip-hop is in the battle but after 40-years of hip-hop, there is bound to be some long-lasting ill-will amongst a group of people as competitive as rappers. Some beef never gets squashed and can go on for years between rappers who never get over that initial slight.

In fact, it was just last week when two rappers took to the airwaves to publicly re-hash decade-old beef. First, Cam'ron claimed that his old rival Jay Z was refusing to play his music at Hov's famed 40/40 Club in New York City, indicating the former Roc-A-Fella stars rivalry was still going on strong. Meanwhile, Game decided to fire another shot  in his never-ending feud with 50 Cent.

In wake of this news, XXL is looking back at 9 of hip-hop's longest-lasting feuds as we wonder why it can't be all so simple.

Game vs. 50 Cent (2005 -  )

In 2003, Dr. Dre had signed up-and-coming Compton rapper Game to his Aftermath Entertainment on the strength of his buzz in Los Angeles. Dr. Dre and  Interscope chief Jimmy Iovine decided that it was in the best interest of all parties that Game partner up with 50 Cent's G-Unit Records, an off-shoot of Interscope/Aftermath, due to the growing buzz that 50 had gained for G-Unit after the multiplatinum success of 50's debut album, Get Rich Or Die Tryin'. At the time, it was seen as mutually beneficial that Dre's latest protegé Game sign with the red-hot 50 Cent due to the co-sign and credibility that 50 would provide Game.

However, things were not meant to be as tensions arose amongst Game and 50. Soon after, conflict bubbled over into violence and discord between the rappers. After Game went on the radio claiming that he had love for 50's rivals JadaKiss, Nas and Fat Joe, this perceived act of disloyalty caused 50 Cent to publicly boot Game from G-Unit during an interview on Hot 97. Things turned violent a few days later when a member of Game's entourage was shot in the lobby of Hot 97 after a confrontation between crews turned violent.

Despite the origins of the feud beginning over a decade ago, it seems as if the saga will never end. Game has consistently taken shots at 50 Cent over the years in a series of songs and interviews. In January 2013, it seemed as if the feud was coming to a close when Game started a petition to re-unite G-Unit online. However, Game returned to dissing 50 Cent on his lastest mixtape, OKE: Operation Kill Everything, after 50 Cent declined to participate in the reunion petition.

Jay Z vs. Cam'ron (2002 -)

 In 2002, Roc-A-Fella artist Cam'ron became arguably the label's biggest success since label founder Jay Z after Cam's Come Home With Me went platinum. Tensions arose between Jay and Cam after Jay's business partner Dame Dash supposedly named Cam'ron Vice President of Roc-A-Fella without consulting Jay Z first. It was a move that Jay Z did not agree with and Hov allegedly blocked Cam'ron from taking the position at the company. A few years later in 2006 after simmering tensions boiled over, Cam'ron released "You Gotta Love It" aimed at Jay Z where he alleged that Hov had blocked him from his position and made allusions that Jay was involved with a shooting targeting Cam'ron, a year prior. Later in the year, Jay would allegedly throw a few subliminal disses at Cam on his song "Dig A Hole."

While in recent years, the feud has gone quiet it seems as if some bad blood remains between both parties. It was reported that just last week that Cam'ron was alleging that Jay Z had blocked Cam'ron and his Dipset crew's music from being played at Hov's popular 40/40 Club in New York City.

Gucci Mane vs. Jeezy (2005 - )

Despite both men being from Atlanta, having similar career trajectories and having origins in the streets, Gucci Mane and Jeezy have had one of the most contentious, violent and long-lasting feuds in hip-hop history.  Beef started in 2005 when the pair collaborated on "Icy," a single on Gucci's independent debut, Trap House. Jeezy believed that the song was to be for his own debut album, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101, and later claimed that he was not paid for his appearance on the song. The feud would turn violent a few months later when Gucci was charged with murder of a Young Jeezy associate Pookie Loc after four men including Loc broke into Gucci's home on May 19, 2005. Feeling the need to defend himself, Gucci pulled a pistol on the men and fired at them as they fled the scene, killing Loc. A few years later, Gucci was later found not guilty of murder.

Almost a decade later, the men are still feuding with no signs of quitting. Over the years, the men have continued to fire shots at each other in songs and interviews. Meanwhile in September 2013, Gucci Mane tweeted "Fuck Jeezy" during a three-day long rant on Twitter. It seems as if nothing has been settled with the rappers and nothing is destined to change in the near future.

50 Cent vs. Ja Rule (2000 - 2011)

With origins stemming from legitimate street beef, Ja Rule and 50 Cent were at odds for almost eleven years. The feud started in 2000 when an associate of 50 Cent allegedly robbed fellow Queens rapper Ja Rule for his chain and jewelry. The feud escalated in 2003 when 50 Cent signed with Shady/Aftermath and launched an all-out assault against Ja Rule and his label Murder Inc. Diss tracks, physical confrontations and alleged shootings followed in the decade-long beef.

In an May 2011 interview, Ja Rule revealed that he had squashed the beef with 50 Cent saying "It’s resolved now,” he declared. “I’m cool. We ain’t beefing no more. We’ll never collaborate. That’s just what it is. You don’t have to be at war with somebody, but it’s also kind of like U.S. and another country that they may not get along with. We don’t gotta go to war, but we’re not friends either. But we can coincide inside of a world. He’s doing him, and he’s not thinking about me, and I’m doing me and I’m not thinking about him.”

Pusha T vs. Lil Wayne (2002 - ) 

You can trace the beginnings of the feud between Pusha T and Lil Wayne to 2006. After Pusha's group, Clipse, dropped their single, "Mr. Me Too," Lil Wayne told Complex in a December 2007 interview that he thought the song was directed at him after he appeared on the cover of Vibe several months earlier draped in BAPE Clothing, a signature of Clipse at the time. Words were exchanged in several interviews afterwards between the camps and soon Clipse fired a few subliminal disses at them on the intro to their mixtape, We Got 4 Cheap, Vol. 3.

Things died down until May 2012 when Lil Wayne sent out a late-night tweet directed at Pusha saying "Fuck Pusha t and anybody that love em." Word had spread that Pusha was subliminally  dissing fellow Ca$h Money artist Drake on several of his songs, something that Wayne did not appreciate. Lil Wayne soon dropped "Ghoulish" aimed at Pusha T. Although, both artists have downplayed the beef since, Pusha dropped a verse on Ludacris' "Tell Me What They Mad For" dissing LIl Wayne and Ca$h Money founder Birdman.

Foxy Brown vs. Lil Kim (1997 - )

For two rappers that had more in common than not, Foxy Brown and Lil Kim have simply not been able to see eye-to-eye over the years. The two Brooklyn divas were both known for their rugged, hyper-sexual style, had come up in the New York rap scene at the same time and had even briefly attended high school together. Yet, they've spent the better part of 15 years feuding with one another.

Strain on their relationship grew after Lyor Cohen and Def Jam approached the pair to record an joint album, Thelma & Louise, in 1997. However, persistent ego tripping amongst the pair caused the album to be permanently shelved. After a few subliminal disses were exchanged between the pair on records, things began to truly heat up when Foxy appeared on Capone-N-Noreaga's "Bang, Bang" where she dissed Kim for grieving over her fallen friend Notorious B.I.G. on the track.  Soon the conflict began violent when an altercation between Kim's entourage and Capone's entourage erupted in gunfire outside of Hot 97 in New York. The event would lead to Kim's incarceration for three counts of perjury and one count of conspiracy.

Despite numerous olive branches passed between camps over the year, the pair have continued to feud steadily  most recently in 2011, when Foxy entered the fray in a beef between Lil Kim and Nicki Minaj when she released her diss song, "Massacre," aimed at Kim. In June 2013, it was revealed that fellow Brooklyn rapper Fabolous had tried to reunite the pair on stage at Hot 97's Summer Jam but the pair declined to participate.

Snoop Dogg vs. Suge Knight (1997 - 2013)

Upon the death of his friend, Tupac Shakur, and the exit of his mentor, Dr. Dre, at Death Row Records, Snoop Dogg had discovered that he was getting cheated out of his publishing by Death Row founder Suge Knight. While Suge was serving an extended sentence in prison for a parole violation, Snoop left Death Row for greener pastures at Master P's No Limit Records, a move that deeply angered Knight. What followed was 16 years of public squabbling between the two men as they exchanged a war of words in interviews and on wax.

However, the pair finally reconciled after years of disagreement in 2013 when they were photographed partying in a club. Snoop would later go on to explain why he chose the path of reconciliation with Suge following years of dispute in an interview with DJ Skee.

“I think time heals all wounds," Snoop said. "And then being a bigger man and being one who accepts responsibility and right or wrong, I like saving lives, I don’t like to take lives. If that means putting my hand out saying I’m wrong, I apologize and we be cool, I’ll do that as opposed to me going behind my back, pulling a gun out and getting somebody or me doing something vicious to you.”

50 Cent vs. Fat Joe (2005 - 2012)

The conflict between 50 Cent and Fat Joe started with a song. During 50's beef with his most hated rival, Ja Rule, Fat Joe collaborated with Rule and Jadakiss on "New York." 50 took offense to this and fired lyrical shots across Fat Joe's bow on Fif's "Piggy Bank" in 2005. What followed was years of public battles in which both men continued to fire shots at each other in interviews, on songs and in comedic videos on YouTube. After the death of mutual friend Chris Lighty in 2012, the men reconciled at the 2012 BET Hip-Hop Awards during a tribute to their fallen friend.

Grandmaster Caz vs. Sugarhill Gang (1979 - )

Hip-hop's first foray into true commercialism led to perhaps one of the longest-running feuds in hip-hop history. After the Sugarhill Gang released "Rappers' Delight" on September 16, 1979, the song would become an instant world-wide phenomenon that would serve as the spark that would launch hip-hop to the global marvel it is today.

Unfortunately, credit for writing the song remains steeped in heavy controversy. According to most accounts, Sugarhill member Big Bank Hank allegedly asked to borrow old school rap legend Grandmaster Caz's rhyme book, in which the taken lyrics would go on to form the backbone for Hank's rhymes on the song. After the song blew up, Caz claims that he was never paid for his work on the song, given proper writing credits for the song or received any royalties from the untold profits the song would go on to make.

Over the years, Caz has publicly feuded with Big Bank Hank and the Sugarhill Gang, continually disparaging and downplaying the role that Sugarhill has played in the development of hip-hop.